View full sizeGoogle imageTerrianne Hess was convicted of hoarding more than three dozen cats, although not this one.

A Multnomah County judge has sentenced Terrianne Hess of Gresham to five years probation and other penalties for her conviction this week on 45 counts of animal neglect for keeping more than three dozen cats in her apartment.

Hess, 42, told Circuit Judge Eric Bergstrom on Thursday that she cared for the cats as best she could but "fell on hard economic times and was unable to give them quite what she thought they needed," said Assistant District Attorney Jacob Kamins, who prosecuted the case.

Neighbors complaining of the overpowering smell of urine called the Oregon Humane Society in August. The officers who responded found 38 skinny, flea-bitten cats surviving in Hess's 700-square-foot duplex. A two-inch layer of cat feces covered the floor. The bodies of seven dead cats were found inside and outside the apartment.

Wednesday, a six-person jury convicted Hess of all charges against
her. A psychiatric evaluation before trial found that Hess suffers from obsessive-compulsive personality disorder with possible underlying psychosis.

In addition to the probation, Bergstrom sentenced Hess to 100 hours of community service and imposed a $5,000 fine. He also required her to undergo any psychological or psychiatric treatment as her probation officer recommends.

David Lytle, spokesman for the Oregon Humane Society, said the Hess case does not set any records for animal hoarding; "We've had people with double this number of cats," he said.

He was particularly pleased at the requirement of the psychiatric evaluation. "Historically, what we see is that people who are convicted of hoarding hoard again. Hopefully, with enough counseling, this can be overcome (for Hess)."

Lytle also said the 38 cats removed from Hess's home have found new families.